Geobge t



G. T. RIDDLE.

EGG CARRIER.

(No Model.)

Patented J une 6,, 1882,

Fig. 6'.

l l' l l I UNITED STATES.

PATENT O-FFIc GEORGE T. RIDDLE, OF s LOUIS, MISSOURI.

EGG-CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,213, dated June 6, 1882. Application filed February 2t, 1882. (No model.)

My invention relates to the construction of trays for egg-carriers and it consists in providing the trays with hinged covers secured to central strips of heavy material, the covers being adapted to form the detached bottoms to the trays above, and providing means for the ready removal of the trays when the covers are placed in vertical position, so as to be easily taken hold of by the hand for the purpose of lifting the trays away from the eggs, which are thus deposited on the covers of the trays beneath, or, in the case of the bottom tray, onto the bottom of the box.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of two trays or carriers, the lower one being shown with both bottom and cover hinged thereto, and the upper onewith cover alone, said cover being raised to adapt it to be used as a handle in lifting for the discharge of the eggs from the compartments. Fig. 2 is a detail top view of part of the lower tray shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section at 3 3,/Fig.'2, with part of the central slat broken away to show one of the sides of the tie. Fig. 4 is a detail end view of lower tray. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section through one of the ties in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 contains diagrams showing the manner of slottin g the strips of which the body of the tray is composed.

A is the central strip, which I prefer to form of wood or of heavier straw-board than the other strips, B and O. The strips A are slotted at a from the upper side downward from end to end. The other longitudinal strips, B, are slotted upward at b from the under side from end to end. In the transverse-strips the central slot, 0, is made from the bottom upward and all the other slots, 0, from the top downward. The central slots, 0, embrace the cen tral strip, A, and the upper slots, 0, embrace the strips B. Thus it will be seen that the strip A will support the transverse strips 0,.and the latter would serve to support the other longitudinal strips, B.

D D are the wings or flaps, connected together by a flexible ribbon of cloth or other suitable material, E, and connected to the tray by other suitable means that will not destroy the flexibility of the joint. I prefer to run the ties through the flexible ribbon and beneath the central strip, A.

It will be understood that the flaps D serve to cover the whole of the tray A B C and to sustain the eggs in the tray above.

In some cases a bottom, D D, may be used in addition to the cover; but this is not a necessary feature of the invention. This bottom is shown in the lower tray in Fig. 1, and in Figs. 3 and 4. It is similarly constructed to the cover. Each of the flaps in this case may be provided with an additional hinge, in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 atd, to form more gentle inclines when depositing eggs, and thus prevent damage to the eggs, which damage might result from allowing those in the central compartments to remain in the tray (when it is to be lifted) until they should reach so high an elevation that their momentum in descending might cause fracture. To explain this, it will be understood that the bottom flaps are only connected to the middle strip of the tray, and the joint d allows the flap to bend downward at that line, and so the eggs are not kept in the tray until the tray reaches an elevation that would endanger the eggs.

Patent No. 7,131, granted 23d of May, 1876, to

Billings, Goburn & 00., assignees of John L.

Stevens; but said flaps form part of the transverse strips, and are not connected to the tray by ties which serve to bind the parts together.

I claim as my invention 1. An egg-carrier tray having cells open at bottom, and provided with flaps D D, secured to the middle strip and adapted to form the 55 by ties F,of wire or other suitable material, or

bottom of another tray above, and when raised thereon, and furnishing means for lifting the forming a handle by which the. tray can be tray away from the eggs, as set forth, and the IO lifted away from the eggs as set forth. ties securing the flaps and strips to the thick 2. An egg-carrier tra-y consisting of strips strip A. 5 B G, forming cells open at bottom, thick strip GEORGE T. RIDDLE.

A, supporting the strips B G,'the flaps D, and Witnesses: ties F, the flaps adapted to form a, cover of SAML. KNIGHT, the tray or a bottom to another tray located GEO. H. KNIGHT. 

